yangcaiqiliu
It is very real and close to the reality of Vietnam. A lot of American movies make the American soldiers look bad. This is wrong. All the left-wing movie director did this in order to stop the draft. My Grandfather a United States Marine officer fight for America in Korea and Vietnam. He would not lie to me and he love freedom. We need patriotism in this country.
Make America great again, President Trump!
classicsoncall
It's almost impossible to keep politics out of a discussion of this movie, though I found that John Wayne as director at least allowed the liberal view their take on things by questioning the legitimacy of the war. Perhaps the movie's biggest problem in hindsight is the fact that it was made while the Viet Nam War was still being waged. 1979's "Apocalypse Now" presented the viewer with an inability to filter any kind of rationality out of insane circumstances and challenged one's perception about war and it's consequences. In 1986, "Platoon" examined the utter insanity that drives men to do the kinds of things they would never even consider in 'ordinary' life. "The Green Berets" delivers a proactive message about America's involvement in the War as a force for good against the Communist threat posed by Russia, China and the Viet Cong. That man has to pay a price for freedom is a recurring theme, with the character of Chronicle Herald reporter Beckworth (David Janssen) gradually coming to realize that all is not black or white when serving in a combat zone. However viewed today, the film appears to be laden with clichéd characters and situations and doesn't convey the kind of mind numbing angst that warriors in combat are faced with when fighting the enemy. With all that's been said and written about the Viet Nam War, the movie's principal value lies in presenting a view of the conflict that's generally not seen or understood by those who never lived through the era.
sddavis63
I suppose you have to give John Wayne credit. By 1968 the Vietnam War was already becoming unpopular, protests against it were erupting, America's allies were publicly opposing it. Making a movie that would be essentially a defence of U.S. involvement in Vietnam took some guts. Of course, Wayne's fan base was likely made up of the more conservative types in American society, but still. Making a pro-Vietnam movie in 1968 would have been cutting increasingly against the grain. And, no doubt owing to Wayne's stature, even anti-Vietnam actors wanted roles in this - notably David Janssen as anti-war reporter George Beckworth, who follows the unit as a war correspondent, and Star Trek's George Takei, who took on the role of Captain Nim, a ruthless South Vietnamese officer.Now, I'm no expert on the Vietnam War or anything military to be honest. But to my amateur eye, this seemed rather well done and the military scenes seemed authentic. Of course, it's the reverse of what we usually associate with movies about Vietnam. In this, the U.S. is noble, and fighting for a just cause against the atrocities of the communist, North Vietnamese enemy. In fact, all that is made so clear that in the end Beckworth becomes a supporter of the U.S. involvement. And, unlike most Vietnam movies, this movie doesn't focus on young draftees but on the special forces, who likely were much more professional and who probably had higher morale.Perhaps in a reflection of one of the basic reasons for the unpopularity of the Vietnam War, the prime weakness of the movie for me was a lack of clear focus or purpose. The movie has a tragic figure - the young Vietnamese boy who has only a dog as a companion and who bonds with one of the U.S. soldier. In the end, it finally settles into a purpose - to capture a senior North Vietnamese general. But for the most part, this just depicts war.It does provide an interesting and alternative perspective that's worth watching - and it shouldn't be dismissed for its bias, it should be evaluated on its merits. On that basis, it isn't great, but it's a worthwhile watch. (6/10)
sdquinn2-1
John Wayne made lots of patriotic films, but this one is #1 on the list. All of America loved John Wayne because John Wayne loved America. As a veteran of the Viet Nam War, March 1971-February 1972, let me tell you this is a realistic portrayal of the events in Viet Nam. All of the brave American soldiers and their South Viet Nam allies were the heroes of that war, and the bleeding heart libs back here at home were the villains. The American soldiers would have won that war if it were not for the weak kneed liberal politicians undercutting them back home. That being said, this is a wonderful movie. Jim Hutton deserved an Oscar for his acting. Of course John Wayne deserved an Oscar every time he was in a film. This movie should be mandatory viewing in every junior high school in America.
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